Todd
Bowman stepped into the horse world at the age of three with his first pony on
his parents farm in Minnesota. Showing horses in all
western and English events, through his youth was soon a priority. He started
riding bucking horses and bulls when he was twelve and began fighting bulls
three years later. While on the college rodeo team at U W River Falls, Todd
earned a B.S. in Agriculture Education and was introduced to reining horses.
After Graduation, Todd pursued a very successful rodeo career that lasted
twenty years, fighting bulls and saving cowboys. During that time, Todd was
selected to fight bulls at the International Finals Rodeo three times and
earned two alternate positions at the National Finals Rodeo for the Wrangler
Freestyle Bullfights.

In the fall of 2010 Todd's work as a Bit and Spur
Maker was juried into the prestigious International Guild of Bit and Spur
Makers. All of his work is stamped with the approved Guild Stamp.
The International Guild of Bit and Spur Makers membership elected Todd to the
Board of Directors in March 2012.

During
his rodeo career, Todd was able to observe horsemen across the country
communicate with their horses while they competed in a variety of equine
disciplines. Todd’s rodeo career slowed in 1998, when a near death skydiving
accident crushed his legs, pelvis, arm and face. His “no excuses” philosophy,
coupled with being able to get back to riding horses as part of his
rehabilitation, allowed him to return to saving cowboys from bulls and skydiving.
He retired from the rodeo business in 2003.

Todd’s
college interest in reining horses resurfaced and by 2000, he was showing at a
competitive level. Showing and training his own horses was a challenge,
especially considering his physical limits from the skydiving
accident. To compensate for one leg being shorter than the other, he started
tinkering and building different kinds of spurs, simply because the tools he
needed were not available on the shelf at the local western stores. Soon after,
Non-Pro reiners requested
him to create spurs that allowed them to better communicate with their own
horses. The need for better tools led to the founding of Bowman Custom Spurs.
Todd’s spurs are influenced by the advice and knowledge of reining, cutting,
pleasure, and rope horse trainers from across the United States.

Today,
Todd lives in Belvidere, Illinois, with his wife, Kathi,
five dogs, two donkeys, 2 llamas, and ten horses. He enjoys the challenges of
training and showing their Futurity and Derby Reining and Working cowhorses.